SUNDAY AM: Here are the official blockbuster numbers -- Paramount Pictures release of Marvel Studios’ Iron Man, in 4,105 theaters, made an estimated $35,125,000 on Friday 5/2, an estimated $37,500,000 on Saturday 5/3, for an estimated 3-day weekend box office of $100,750,000. Advance screenings in select locations, about 2,500 venues, from 8:00 PM to midnight on Thursday 5/1 contributed an additional $3,500,000. With this addition, the total estimated box office is $104,250,000. The estimated international box office for the weekend is $96,750,000 from 57 territories. The total combined estimated global box office for Marvel Studios' Iron Man is $201,000,000.
"It beat Will Smith and Jesus!" gushed a Paramount insider referring to the openings of I Am Legend and The Passion Of The Christ. "It's just mind-blowing. Internally, some people were going into high 80sM and low 90sM but people were laughing at them. We had our own box office poll and maybe one person thought $100M." The monster numbers now make Iron Man the second biggest 3-day release for a non-sequel in the history of Hollywood, behind only Sony's first Spider-Man. It's also the No. 10 movie opening weekend and the No. 4 superhero movie weekend of all time. The $140 million production self-financed by Marvel was also distibutor Paramount's biggest live action opening of all time. I understand that, at first, Paramount thought Thursday's advance screenings generated $5 million, but then discovered that $1.7 million ended up being for 12:01 AM shows so that money went towards Friday gross.
The other major movie opening, Sony's Made Of Honor starring Patrick Dempsey, did respectably for 2nd place: it opened to $5.6M Friday and $6M Saturday from 2,729 venues for a $15.5M weekend. Audiences were skewed female (68%) and older (62% were ages 25+). "Given the competition with Iron Man, we are very pleased with the results of our counter programming," a Sony Pictures spokesman said. "The movie was produced for under $40 million and is another in a string of moderately-budgeted, commercial films that will perform well for the studio."
The rest of the Top 10:
No. 3 -- Baby Mama/Universal, $10.3M weekend, $33.2M cume
No. 4 -- Forgetting Sarah Marshall/Universal, $6.1M weekend, $44.8M cume
No. 5 -- Harold & Kumar Guantanamo Bay/Warner, $6M weekend, $25.2M cume
No. 6 -- The Forbidden Kingdom/Lionsgate, $4.2M weekend, $45.1M cume
No. 7 -- Nim's Island/Fox, $2.7M weekend, $42.5M cume
No. 8 -- Prom Night/Sony, $2.5M weekend, $41.4M cume
No. 9 -- 21/Sony, $2.1M weekend, $79M cume
No. 10 -- 88 Minutes/Sony, $1.6M weekend, $15.4M cume
SATURDAY PM: An insider just told me that Marvel's Iron Man has made at least $100 million for the 3 1/2 days of its opening release in North America. "We're having a fantastic Saturday," a source relays. "Most movies in this genre fall Friday to Saturday. Not this one!!!" The total wildly exceeded what Marvel, which self-financed the $140 million production cost, and distributor Paramount thought would be the comic book movie's realistic take from 4,105 theaters during its debut. I'm told the PG-13 pic also took in a monster $50 million overseas from nearly 50 foreign territories.
For my main story with all the background and analysis, go here.
Just got back from seeing Iron Man in a packed theater in Orange County. Every show was a sellout well in advance tonight, and audience reaction was great. Can’t say I’m surprised that the numbers went up from Friday. Good for Robert Downey Jr.–he really carries the show.
Comment by Webster — May 3, 2008 @ 11:10 pm
Damn.
Comment by peggy — May 3, 2008 @ 11:22 pm
“Uh. Yeah. I can fly.”
When I saw that moment the first time in the trailer, I knew that movie was going to be huge, and that Robert Downey Jr. would be exactly where he has been supposed to be for years.
The man IS Tony Stark the way Harrison Ford WAS Indiana Jones in 1981, and he comes on the screen fully formed, with flaws, with a fun attitude, and thank the gods that finally there is a superhero who isn’t an angsty teen, a one-facial expression revenge-driven ex-ninja with bat issues of an alien gay Jesus substitute (I am looking at YOU, Singer)
Comment by Thomas — May 4, 2008 @ 12:19 am
Word of mouth is EVERYTHING IMHO……I’ve shouted wide and loud about this pic…..it’s that good…….
I even read one thing online throwing Downey Jr’s name out there for award season, the first to be able to do so in a superhero role….
Comment by Pete Fanning — May 4, 2008 @ 5:01 am
what a great movie for everyone. wished it was an hour longer
Comment by herb — May 4, 2008 @ 6:39 am
I’m sure folks at Marvel are doing the “Happy Dance” right now with this news.
I think Downey’s presence has a lot to do with the film’s success. His struggle to get and stay sober, his hard work, and his charm and talent as an actor has people rooting for him. Folks want to see him succeed, and they are rewarding him for his hard work.
Good for him.
Comment by Furious D — May 4, 2008 @ 7:21 am
Notice if you take the power away from the studios they make a movie true to the comic. If Paramount or Warner Bros would have been in charge, it would have been watered down crap geared to selling Iron Man Dolls to 10 year olds. One word—Avengers!
Comment by realworldperson — May 4, 2008 @ 8:53 am
Iron Man is a fun movie, but it is not as good as people are making it out to be. The last act superhero vs. guy with superhero’s power fight was so by the book it was silly. To get 4 stars, this movie needed to be a bit more original than that.
If anyone other than Robert Downey Jr had been cast in the lead, it would have been a C- movie at best.
Comment by Mike B — May 4, 2008 @ 9:02 am
Nikki can you do at least one post a day that doesn’t cover frickin’ Iron Man? Enough already!
Comment by Tirin' Man — May 4, 2008 @ 9:09 am
So much for GTA4 hurting the movies. I guess all those console players managed to get away from the TV for a full 3 hours during the weekend.
Comment by Mrglass — May 4, 2008 @ 11:59 am
Robert finally gets his day! Good for him…
Comment by Brian — May 4, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
so many reactions…
1.yes, but how’s it tracking with women?
2. does this mean we won’t get another TOLDJA!?
3. “If anyone other than Robert Downey Jr had been cast in the lead, it would have been a C- movie at best.”
great call, mike b. of course, citizen kane might’ve stunk too if orson welles hadn’t made it.
Comment by bob cordwainer — May 4, 2008 @ 12:40 pm
The only ones who can say “Toldja” are the few of us who saw Zodiac & Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and knew RDJ was on his way to a massive comeback.
Comment by 40yearoldstitzer — May 4, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
I cannot even fathom going to see this or any other super power movie. Yuck.
Comment by victoria — May 4, 2008 @ 3:14 pm
not that iron man is citizen kane. but if a frog had wings… ah, you know the rest.
Comment by bob cordwainer — May 4, 2008 @ 4:10 pm
I just knew Ironman would do excellent at the box office. Marvel and DC comic superheroes always do extremely better during the summer months. Personally I’d like to the graphic comic movie adaption of Ironman. I’m betting that Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull has a real strong summer opening too.
Comment by chuck — May 4, 2008 @ 4:36 pm
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/tracking-iron-man-crazy-talk/
Ha….and might I add….HA!
Comment by Jhonen — May 4, 2008 @ 5:30 pm
Tirin’ Man, this is a Box Office post, and guess what, Iron Man is #1. At $100 million. At the start of summer. Hearing about anything ELSE would be weird.
Comment by Chaz — May 4, 2008 @ 5:31 pm
Nikki, I had my legal viewing today at The Ziegfeld in NYC. Sunday at 4PM — and I was behind a *hundred* people already lined up before 3:30 for it! And these were *not* kids, either. Geezers like me: 30s, 40s, 50s!
Iron Man: The Legal Viewing
It cost me $12(!) to see it.
Worth it? Hell yeah!
Comment by Mike Cane — May 4, 2008 @ 6:25 pm
@Comment by Tirin’ Man — May 4, 2008 @ 9:09 am
uhhhh…this is Hollywood, Chief. We like to talk about our tentpole pictures.
Also, the thing just had the 10th biggest opening of an movie…EVER. As in OF ALL TIME.
If that’s not lead news on a Hollywood related blog then Ms. Finke should probably just shut this whole operation down right now.
Comment by manny — May 4, 2008 @ 6:56 pm
“Iron Man” is the first comic book movie to actually IMPROVE on the source material, and now the trend is officially a movement. More sci-fi films with usable budgets, wide demo appeal and careful scripts. Many more comics movies, resulting in a return to quality for the artform of comics. Non-teen, non-male audiences were growing ravenous the superhero concept before the movies were good (Mike B excluded), and now they’ll be no stopping them. It’s what all this FX development has been leading up to since “A Trip To The Moon.” Even my grandmother knows what it means to “teleport.” This means something (spake Dreyfuss)…
Comment by Dave — May 4, 2008 @ 8:09 pm
What a goofy comparison, Iron Man to Will Smith and Passion of the Christ. Odd. Talk about picking names out of a hat. Something tells me Jesus will have the last laugh in overall box office on this one.
Comment by Paramount Outsider — May 4, 2008 @ 10:44 pm
Happy, happy dance. Great summer movie with brilliant work from RDJ. Good for him.
Comment by Ben — May 5, 2008 @ 2:16 am
good
Comment by sop — May 5, 2008 @ 2:20 am
I don’t get why people were looking so hard for excuses why this would not open big - “weak with women”, hurt by GTA.
Those turned out to be wrong in a huge way. Wasn’t it obvious that this thing was going to have a great opening, I can’t imagine how it would open poorly with great reviews, a great trailer, and great word of mouth. The question wasn’t whether it would open big, just HOW big.
Comment by milo — May 5, 2008 @ 9:15 am
good thing toby/new line put this into turnaround…genius and worthy of a promotion for Toby for sure!
Comment by Anonymous — May 5, 2008 @ 11:46 am
Victoria - just to correct a misconception here - there are no ’super powers’ in this movie. It’s a story about a normal human being (who just happens to be a genius engineer and have boatloads of money - yes, people like that really DO exist!), and his character development from pure asshole to decent member of humankind.
Because of that drama and character development - and the incredible charisma of Robert Downey, Jr. - I think women are gonna love this movie just as much as men (speaking as a woman, who has lots of women friends who already love it, I think I’m somewhat of an authority).
The only problem comes with getting them, like you Victoria, to give it a chance. And if you don’t come out of this movie TOTALLY in love with Tony Stark and RDJ - well, I don’t know what to tell ya… perhaps you should have your estrogen levels checked?
Why on EARTH would any female prefer to see a paint-by-the-numbers film like ‘Made of Honor’ over this masterpiece is beyond me, but I saw it happen multiple times at the theater on Saturday night - poor guys being dragged by their girlfriends to see ‘Made of Honor,’ while looking longingly at the lines waiting for ‘Iron Man.’
Sometimes I am ashamed to be a woman because it automatically lumps me into that ‘Made of Honor’ group…
I’ve seen IM twice already and will see it AT LEAST twice more in theaters, then buy it on DVD as soon as it’s released.
Comment by d-rocks — May 5, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
Nikki (IMO)…
This was a very patriotic film. I was very impressed and I hope other people in other countries like the film.
Robert Downey Jr. should at least get another Oscar nomination for this if not a Win! You can’t tell me the fans, the public at large would take Daniel Day Lewis over Robert Downey Jr !!!
The Academy would be passing up a HUGE opportunity to bring in a huge new fanbase to the show. And let’s face it the Academy Awards needs some help in the ratings dept.
They nominate Downey and its instant double ratings.
I can guarantee you Downey is a lock for “Peoples Choice Award 2008″.
Great Job Robert!!!!!!!!
Can’t wait for Iron Man 2.
Comment by 790 — May 5, 2008 @ 9:39 pm
I am a woman who has loved RDJ thru the years and I paid my 12.50 (ordered online) for the 8pm Thursday @ Century City AMC. I am thrilled for him!! But I knew that that short, talented mofo would one day come back and show us how its done. I wished it was something like Chaplin or something that might appeal to a wider audience but he said he did this for his son, and just cuz and that is good enough for me. I am not a fair representation of a woman seeing Iron Man, I went to see Robert rise from the muck, shake himself off and never ever have to worry about money again!!! I knew he would be funny, charming, sexy and right..he did not make the best film choices in the best but this choice kicks them all in the teeth!
GO RDJ! RIDE THIS BABY ALL THE WAY!!!
Comment by Pam — May 5, 2008 @ 11:19 pm
Paramount finally knocked it out of the park - of course with RDJ–Ironman is not generally my faire, but this movie is GREAT!! Para finally has a franchise$$$$$$ congrats! are in order.
Comment by devin — May 6, 2008 @ 11:43 am